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Read MoreSpring Branding on a Texas Ranch
The Work Begins! Every spring throughout ranch country, cowboys and cowgirls gather the cow/calf operation herds for branding. Some people claim that branding of livestock is a cruel practice, but it is necessary to establish ownership. The practice was introduced to North America by Cortes when...
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Help A Horse Day!
National Help a Horse Day is celebrated annually on April 26 to raise awareness of the people who work tirelessly to give abused and neglected horses a second chance. And they need your help! There are two equine sanctuaries in my area that have made a huge difference in...
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Read MoreMyths of the Working Cowboy: No Skills Required
While researching the Texas ranching industry, I’ve uncovered some interesting information based on assumptions of the ranching lifestyle and the work of the American cowboy. One historian referred to the cow hands of the great cattle driving era as “glorified cow walkers” because “cows are dumb” and they generally...
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Read MoreAn Obsession with Cows
“Have you checked the cows today?” After moving eight miles from town and down the road from my in-laws, I wondered at my father-in-law’s compulsion to drive through his cattle every single day, sometimes twice. My husband did the same. We drove through the steers he fed out on...
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Read MoreCowboy Gear: Ropes
Slang terms for Cowboy Ropes included Line, string, ketch-rope, clothes line, throw rope, saddle rope, grass rope, twine, whale line, hard twist, hair rope, or pepper-and-salt rope. Whatever you call it, they say that a range cowboy did everything with his rope but eat. Vaqueros in early...
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Read MoreCollecting Recipes
Cookbooks take up three shelves above the desk in our kitchen, some old, some inherited and some new. My favorites are those old, used and sometimes stained binders filled with family favorites put together by church ladies or quilting clubs. I find them in used book stores and sometimes...
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Read MoreCowboy Gear: Saddles
“The West was won and conquered by the men who sit in saddle leather.” Saddle, a cowboy’s workbench and his throne. In the West, known as cow saddles, range saddles, stock saddles. In the East as Mexican saddles, Western saddles or cowboy saddles. Western cowboys were not impressed with...
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Read MoreFrom Vequero to Cowboy
What’s the difference between Vequero or Cowboy? Cattle handlers were called many names with various meanings over the past 150 years, beginning with the great cattle drive era to present day. Today cowboy is the most familiar term, but in the old days it meant something entirely different. The...
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Cocklebur Camp
Research for my book about chuck wagons took me to Abilene, Texas for the Western Heritage Celebration on a rainy, overcast Mother’s Day weekend. It was a huge event with vendors, roping and riding demonstrations, horse races, music, and lunch prepared by authentic chuck wagon crews. While there I had a chance to visit with the 2019 President of the American Chuck Wagon Association (ACWA) and Head Cook of Cocklebur Camp, Sam Howell, II. The ACWA works to preserve the history of the art of cooking on open camp fires in Dutch ovens by sponsoring cook-offs, demonstrations, catering, charity events, school visits and youth cook-offs. The wagons used are the real deal, right down to the pots, pans and utensils that would have been utilized during the late 1800s cattle drives. Sadly, their message has been restricted these days due to regulations at schools relating to food allergies and campus security. “We used to be able to visit schools and set-up for cooking demonstrations, which helped us spread the story about the wagons and their history,” said Sam. ACWA members are dedicated to keeping the history alive. Russell Kimble, a cook with the Cocklebur Camp, told me he enjoys the camaraderie and close knit community the ACWA brings to his weekends. “We all share and...
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Cast Iron Cookware
Worth a Mention in Your Will Cast iron cookware has been so treasured for many generations, some women left specific instructions in their will for the care of their cookware. Without a doubt, the best wedding present we received was a large cast iron skillet. My sister-in-law said, “I wanted it big enough so that you could cook a whole chicken.” It’s so heavy, I have to use both hands to lift it. After 30+ years of marriage, it has obtained a smooth, shiny black patina and I love my cast iron skillet. My grandmother used her cast iron pan to wilt lettuce. Chunks of leftover bacon, diced onion and garden-grown lettuce that she and I had picked that morning, stirred in re-heated bacon grease. I’ve never tasted anything like it since. My parents were extremely picky about their cast iron. No soapy dishwater, ever. Corn bread sticks cooked in the iron mold were my father’s favorite, crispy on the outside, moist and steaming on the inside. I liked mine piled high with butter. Nothing cooks cornbread better than a cast iron skillet. Cast iron heats slowly, cooks food evenly and is a superior conductor of heat. It has been used for centuries. Englishman Joseph Lodge first settled in the town of South...
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The Cowboy Stomp
Stomp, Hoe-Down, Shin-Dig, Baile, Hoe-dig The “grapevine telegraph” spread the word through short grass country of upcoming social events. Neighbors rode for miles to share the gossip and pass the word along to other neighbors. If any cowboy who happened by your place mentioned the upcoming Hoe-Down, you could consider yourself invited. The hosting ranch prepared the bar-b-qued beef and the party-goers traveled for long distances bringing cakes and pies, dressed in their Sunday best sporting new haircuts and...
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Longfellow’s Christmas Bells
The sorrow behind the joyful words of Longfellow’s song. As a writer, I’m always fascinated to learn the history behind the stories and how the events at the time might influence the words that flow onto a blank page. Good or bad, joyous or devastating–strong emotions can evolve into powerful prose. A good example is a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, one of my all time favorites. Longfellow’s Sorrow In the case of Christmas Bells, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote...
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